Holi is one of the most enjoyable festivals in India. It is one that everyone looks forward to and is usually known as the festival of colours because we use colours and coloured water to douse our friends and family in a great display of pomp and show. Also, we tend to get doused and remain that way for many hours, mostly in the sun. As such, Holi can also take a toll on our skin by causing discolouration, rashes and insensitivity. So what should one do in order to avoid coming down with bad skin the day after Holi? Here are our secrets, which will leave you with shining skin even after you have had a great time at the festivities!

Hydration: It is very important to keep yourself well hydrated before you plunge into the festivities. Remember to drink lots of water and ensure that you have a bottle in hand so that you can easily fill up on fluids even as you enjoy yourself with all the sun rays and the colours. This will ensure that your skin does not become too dry.
Full sleeve clothing: Another good idea to keep your skin protected is to wear full-sleeved clothing so that you do not tan indiscriminately and you do not end up with too much discolouration and rashes on your skin. Wear light fabrics that will dry fast so that the water does not get absorbed by the clothing and into your skin. This will keep your skin relatively dry, even if you enjoy yourself for hours at an end. Avoid synthetics clothes and denim as they would stick to your skin. 
Organic colours: With the whole world going the organic way, why should our Indian festivals remain behind? So, you can now opt for organic colours that have been produced in a safe way with safe ingredients. These natural pigments will ensure that you do not have to scrub and endure rashes and irritation after the festival. It is a good idea to opt for such colours, which can be washed off easily and are bereft of synthetic materials that can harm the skin in the long run. This can also help in avoiding problems like eczema and other skin conditions.
Oil your hair: India is a land of rich cosmetic tradition. No matter which direction you look in, you will always find that you have a weapon of choice in terms of oils and other ingredients that are absolutely great for keeping your skin and hair in good shape. So our advice is to oil your hair well, preferably with coconut oil, olive oil, or vitamin E oil, so that the colours and the water does not get absorbed onto your scalp. This will also help in keeping your hair moisturised as the colours can make the strands very dry. Always oil the whole body before playing holi.
Lips: Apply plenty of lip balm before joining the play of colours.
Nails: Apply a thick coat of dark nail paint before Holi. 
It is important that you must apply oil behind your ears, between your finger tips and even near your fingernails. It is ideal that you don't wax or thread or do any facial treatment, at least, three-four days ahead of Holi.

Holi Special - 6 Tips to Keep Your Skin Rash Free!

It is a common knowledge that beer has health benefits when used in masks, scrubs, as conditioners, etc. This reason is good enough for even non-drinkers to stock up their fridges with cans of beer. 
Here are a few ways by which we can use beer to make our skin and hair better:

Use beer as a conditioner - Beer happens to be an excellent conditioner. Mixing one cup warm beer with a teaspoon of jojoba oil makes a natural, non-greasy conditioner. Wash your hair with your regular shampoo and use this mix as a conditioner. The beer in it will give volume to your hair while jojoba oil will add shine and luster.
Use it for a face pack - Take two to three strawberries mash with a fork, add few drops of beer and make a paste. Rub this paste all over your face in a circular motion. Rinse after 15-20 minutes and apply moisturizer on your face.
Soak in beer laced water - Beer can be used in bubble bath too! Mix some soap with beer of your choice and add the mix to the running bath water. Soak in this water and feel your skin become soft and smooth.
Use beer as a hair-pack - Wash your hair with your usual shampoo. Now pour the mixture made of distilled water, beer, two teaspoon apple cider vinegar and few drops of essential oil (any scent), on your hair. Make sure it reaches the hair that is inside as well. Rinse this mixture with lukewarm water. You can do this once a month.
Get the beer glow - Take half a teaspoon of beer, one egg white and a drop of almond extract. Whisk them together and keep aside. On your washed and dried face, apply the mask and let it dry until your skin feels tight. Wash it off with lukewarm water.
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Do You Know What Beer Does To Your Hair & Skin?

Oily skin and summers: what is the ideal way to handle it?

Oily skin is a condition that can be characterized by shine on the skin and a large number of pores. The oil in question is a result of overactive sebaceous glands that produce excessive sebum. This can result in acne and blackheads. Summer is a time of the year where skin problems due to oily skin are worsened by factors such as sweat and dust. So proper skin care is necessary in order to negate the effects of oily skin.

There are multiple ways to handle this condition in summers:

1. Using cleansers - Proper cleaning of skin is a very important step in lessening the effects of oily skin. Harsh cleansers have an opposing effect as they facilitate secretion of oil, so a mild cleanser is usually the best option. Some cleansers may contain ingredients that irritate the skin, so care is advised in selecting a proper one.

2. Hydration and food - Keeping the body well hydrated in summers combined with a diet free of greasy, oily food and less fats can help in reducing the effects of oily skin.

3. Using masks to clear the face - Masks such as clay masks, yogurt, and baking soda can help in cleansing the skin by clearing the oil. It should be noted that these treatments should not be overdone as they can cause the skin to dry up too much and over secrete oil.

4. Skin moisturizers - People often have this notion that oily skin does not require moisturizer application. Selecting a moisturizer that is fit for oily skin and using it will help moisturize the skin and keep it healthy.

5. Sunscreen - Sunscreen is a necessity during summers, and the sunscreen you choose should be specifically for oily skin in order for it to work effectively. Application of sunscreen can help prevent the UV rays of the sun from penetrating the skin and cause complications.

6. Dermatological treatment - In case of severe oiliness, treatments such as chemical peels and creams laced with tretinoin can help.



Oily skin and summers: what is the ideal way to handle it?

5 Ways to protect your skin this summer

Staying out in the sun too long can cause you to suffer from a host of skin problems such as age spots, wrinkles and even increase your risk of developing skin cancer. During the summer months, you need to take extra care of yourself as the sun is at its peak at that time. Here's what you can do in this summer to ensure that your skin remains protected:

1. Avoid the rays of the sun between 10 am and 2 pm

The strength of the UV rays depends on a number of factors such as reflective surfaces, height, and time of day. The sun's UV rays are at their strongest between 10 am and 2 pm. If you're outdoors, seek a cool area to protect yourself from the damaging rays of the sun. You could stand under a tree or use an umbrella to shield yourself from its ultraviolet rays.

2. Don't use tanning beds

Several studies reveal that tanning beds can cause skin cancer. According to these studies, individuals under 30 who use tanning beds increase their risk of melanoma (the most deadly of all skin cancers) by about 75%.

3. Increase your fluid intake

One of the ways in which you can beat the sun and protect your skin is by increasing your fluid intake during this time. On an average, one should have about 3 liters of fluids every day, which is about 1.5-2 liters of water and 1 liter of fluid from solid foods. From summer foods like watermelon and berries to beverages like fruit juice, milk, etc and liquid-based meals - all these avenues should be considered.

4. Have a proper cleansing regimen

To help your skin look fresh even during the summer months, you should exfoliate regularly. When you do this, all the dead skin cells are removed, giving your face a youthful and fresh appeal.

5. Use a sunscreen all the time

To protect yourself from the damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun, you should never forget to apply sunscreen when going out. Ideally, a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 should be applied thoroughly to your skin 30 minutes before leaving your house. More importantly, it should be applied again every 2 hours.



5 Ways to protect your skin this summer

Top 10 Everyday Skin Care Hacks

You skin needs just a little care daily. There are some very simple ways in which we can provide that much needed affection and get back radiance and softness. And all this without any extra effort!

Try these everyday regimes for the glow.

1. Adopt Hydration - The first thing your skin needs to stay beautiful is adequate 'hydration,' or what they call in plain terms as plenty of water. So bottoms up to at least two liters of water daily.

2. Avoid Dehydration  - While you are busy hydrating your skin, remember to be careful and not dehydrate by staying out under the harsh sun for longer than 10-15 mins at a stretch. Ditch the caffeine habit (Soda, coffee, tea) as it dehydrates your body on the cellular level, inviting the onset of those dreaded wrinkles early than anticipated. 

3. Apply Lesser Layers - Your skin is your body's largest organ and it needs to breathe. So try and not swathe it under layers of heavy makeup and pore clogging chemical body butters on a regular basis.

4. Give It Fresh Air - To get your skin breathing truly fresh, put on your exercise gear and head outdoors to spend some quality time with Mother Nature at the nearest park or maybe you can take that long pending weekend trip out of the city!

5. Don’t Stress - Do not be stressed all the time unnecessarily. Learning how to manage stress effectively can take away years from your skin. 

6. Exercise - Run. Jump. Dance. Get moving, in short. The more your skin sweats, the better will it look and the elasticity would improve dramatically too. 

7. Get Nutrition - Get in the habit of starting the day with plenty of fruits and a healthy breakfast with the right amount of protein, carbs and essential fats. Fats are required by your skin to lubricate and moisturize from the inside. But make sure you stick to good fats found in olive oil, eggs, yogurt (the ones without any additives or artificial sugars), and whole grain breads etc.

8. Go Smoke-free - Just stop smoking and you would see a dramatic improvement in your skin tone within a few weeks (yes, it takes time to reverse that kind of damage) 

9. Wear Sunscreen - Slather on the sunscreen before you leave the house but make sure it's SPF index must be 30 and above for it to be effective under the harsh Indian sun.

10. Exfoliate & Detox - Scrub-rub-a dub every week. NOT every day though.. Make sure you use organic scrubs made with rice granules or sugar grains instead. Use a natural face mask such as Banana mash or a Tomato-Cucumber-Honey paste every alternate day to detoxify, cleanse and moisturize your face and body. 

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

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10 Only Skin Care Hacks You Will Ever Need

We have for ages seen our parents and our grandparents reach out for a piece of jaggery at the end of every meal. Jaggery is healthier compared to refined sugar because of its deposition of phytochemicals and other important minerals. While many people do not choose jaggery because of its no-so-good-appearance, it is perhaps more sensible to consume it considering the host of health benefits it offers.

Here is a list of benefits that can be extracted from the consumption of jaggery.

Skin benefits: Jaggery nourishes the skin in the true sense of the word. Owing to the numerous amount of mineral and vitamin, it can eliminate common skin problems such as pimples and acne. It can negate dark spots, wrinkles delay the common signs of aging.
Digestive benefits: Jaggery plays a huge role in ensuring smooth digestion. It stimulates secretion of digestive enzyme. It, therefore, makes it easy for the body to quicken the process of digestion. It can also help to stabilize the bowl movement by keeping common digestion related disorders such as constipation, intestinal worms, indigestion at bay.
Blood: Jaggery does a great job in purifying the blood. It acts as a cleansing agent by filtering the blood from the toxic agents. It also keeps the hemoglobin count normal and help the body refrain from blood-related disorders such as anemia. Since the quantity of iron content in jaggery is plentiful, it successfully helps the body to stay healthy and negate deadly diseases. Furthermore, jaggery can help women to stay away from complicated menstrual related disorders, beat weakness and fatigue.
Weight loss: Jaggery s rich potassium content helps the body balance the electrolyte, build muscles and improve the metabolism of the body. Potassium also helps in managing water retention in the body. Both the factors coupled together helps in weight loss and beat fatigue, obese etc.
Blood pressure: The sodium and potassium content of jaggery helps the body maintain an effective adequate acidic level. This ensures that the blood pressure remains in the balance and the body refrains from undue blood pressure related disorders.
Antioxidants: Jaggery contains selenium, the latter is a rich source of antioxidants which can help the body to fight the free radicals and keep it at bay. The antioxidants also help the body to stay away from other ailments.
Respiratory health: Jaggery is a great source of food that can effectively fight various respiratory problems of the body. It can fight diseases such as bronchitis and asthma.
Body temperature: Jaggery helps to keep a normal body temperature. This is extremely beneficial for patients suffering from asthma since maintaining a steady body temperature is sacrosanct for patients suffering from this disease.

Jaggery (Gur) - 8 Amazing Reasons Why You Must Eat It!

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